In the third year of Wenjiu (1863), early morning on September 25th——
Qinjin Fan, Dajin—
The sky is clear and the air is crisp in autumn.
Although the surrounding scenery is still lush and green, it does have a sense of seasonal change, and the air is full of the refreshing flavor unique to autumn.
The misty morning light flows across the fields, floating like dewdrops that have settled.
Qingdeng and his party walked among the ridges of the compacted fields.
"Moo~moo~moo~moo~"
The radish swung its tail and made a cheerful cry.
It has been a long time since it took a leisurely walk in the wild like today.
Five days have passed since I received Tokugawa Iemo's warrant.
It was only today that Qingdeng finally found time to come and see his fiefdom with his own eyes.
This is a small-scale patrol operation that will return to Kyoto before dark.
For this reason, there were only a few people accompanying him, including Mai Kinoshita, Yataro Iwasaki, Keisuke Yamanan, and a few bodyguards.
I saw the guard behind Qingdeng carrying a large flag that was fluttering in the wind.
Judging from the condition of the fabric, it is easy to tell that this is a newly completed flag.
The flag with a white background is extremely neat, with only one thing embroidered on it—gentian leaves with elegant lines!
The gentian leaf is Qingden’s family crest.
Qingdeng is already the lord of the Qinjin clan, so he should use the gentian leaf as the new symbol of this land.
"Kingsuke, how far is it from Otsu City?"
Qingden turned to Shannan Keisuke beside him and asked.
Shannan Keisuke looked at the surrounding scenery and replied:
"There are about 10 more towns."
[Note 1 town = 109 meters]
Qing Deng nodded:
"Well, we're almost there."
The destination of their trip was Otsu Castle, the feudal lord.
On the way to Ojin City, they looked left and right, like a group of tourists visiting the mountains and rivers.
Including Qingdeng, it was their first time to set foot on this land.
In the past, they had only briefly glanced at the beautiful scenery here when passing by.
Out of the blue, Kinoshita Mai suddenly shouted excitedly:
"Aoden, look! It's Lake Biwa!"
As she spoke, she pointed to the east.
Qingdeng followed the sound - sparkling waves of light filled his field of vision.
The vast lake reflects the sunlight magnificently.
Even if you look far into the distance, you can't see the edge of the lake. At first glance, you might think it's the sea.
Thin clouds float at the end of the lake, as if they are integrated with the lake.
Even the most skilled painter would have difficulty replicating this beautiful scene on canvas.
Yataro Iwasaki raised his eyebrows and praised:
"It is indeed the largest lake in Japan! It is indeed beautiful!"
Shannan Keisuke nodded and agreed:
“Just seeing this stunning scenery makes the trip worthwhile!”
Kinoshita Mai blinked her beautiful eyes a few times, and then said thoughtfully:
"Lake Biwa is a cornucopia. If we manage it well... we should be able to make a lot of money!"
After Qingdeng heard this, he couldn't help but burst into laughter and half-joked:
"It's not difficult to make money from Lake Biwa. But if you want to make a lot of money from it, it's still a bit difficult."
Currently, there is no concept of "tourism" in Japan.
In order to develop tourism, the following four conditions must be met:
First, it has high-quality tourism resources.
Second, a comfortable accommodation environment.
Third, the people have both leisure and money.
Fourth, convenient transportation conditions.
To sum up, developing tourism in the feudal era is really a wishful thinking.
The first two points are easy to say, tourism resources are not difficult to find, and there is no shortage of comfortable accommodation environments, but the last two points are really difficult to achieve.
How can ordinary people struggling to make ends meet have the spare money and time to travel?
There are no planes, no high-speed rail, just primitive walking and cycling.
When going to a place that is a little far away, it is common to be delayed for ten and a half days on the road.
How can ordinary people withstand this kind of consumption?
Moreover, you may encounter bandits and bandits along the way, and you may end up losing both money and life.
Only wealthy people can afford to travel.
So, just as Seito Shisai joked, it is indeed possible to develop tourism by relying on Lake Biwa, and it is definitely possible to make money.
But expecting to make a fortune from this is undoubtedly a fantasy.
…
…
Qingdeng and others walked forward silently.
After a while, the scenery on both sides of the field began to change.
Looking around, there are densely populated rice fields like a chessboard, interspersed with unique scarecrows, connecting the villages in the distance.
It is now autumn, and the rice has begun to mature and bear plump ears.
Looking at the rice fields that were gradually turning golden, Yataro Iwasaki, who came from a poor family, was filled with joy:
"Not bad! It looks like there will be a good harvest this year!"
Since there are rice fields, there are naturally farmers.
Figures with their faces facing the loess and their backs to the sky, working meticulously can be seen everywhere in the fields.
The sound of "Keng", "Keng", and "Keng" was heard one after another.
The sudden arrival of Qingdeng and others naturally aroused the curiosity of the farmers.
They all stopped what they were doing and cast confused glances at Qingden and others.
"Hey, look, someone is coming."
"Who are they?"
"I don't know, maybe they are tourists coming to see Lake Biwa."
"Look, they don't feel like ordinary people."
"Why is that man riding a cow?"
"This is the first time I've seen a nobleman riding a bull..."
"You don't understand this! All noble people are like this. They always do some weird things. I think back then, Confucius rode an ox and went south to Shanhaiguan to preach!"
…
The farmers were all talking and chattering.
The focus of their discussion was naturally Qingden, who was walking at the front, riding a big black bull, and was particularly conspicuous.
Rural areas are not as good as cities and towns, with lack of media channels and limited information.
Therefore, it makes sense that they do not recognize Qingdeng.
They may not know until now that they are no longer the people of the Heavenly Territory.
Since 5 days ago, they have a new identity: the people of Qinjin Fan!
The inspection of Otsu has started just now.
Qingdeng swept his eyes and looked at the farmland of Otsu seriously.
Dajin is indeed a blessed land with abundant products.
Just this endless rice field is enough to envy countless farmers.
Seeing Aonto observing the rice fields, Iwasaki Yataro took out a scroll from his arms with great discernment, spread it out, and then cleared his throat:
"Mr. Tachibana, I have completed the tasks you ordered before. Please allow me to report to you now!"
Four days ago, Aoto urgently summoned Yataro Iwasaki and gave him an important task - to count and sort out Otsu's specialties.
It was obvious that Seito was preparing to develop the economy vigorously, so he ordered Yataro Iwasaki to investigate in advance.
Knowing that he had a heavy responsibility, Yataro Iwasaki agreed on the spot without hesitation, and then showed his extraordinary power of action. He investigated Otsu's industrial situation clearly in a matter of seconds.
Qingdeng nodded lightly and said, "Yeah."
??????55.??????
Iwasaki Yataro immediately lowered his head to look at the scroll in his hand and said word by word:
"Otsu's traditional industries include Otsu paintings, Otsu abacus, Matsumoto tiles, Zensho ware, Hunan ware, soup leaves, crucian carp sushi, salty lake fish, Seta clams, edible chrysanthemums, and Zensho tea."
"Among them, porcelain and tea...that is, Matsumoto Wawa Zensho tea, are Otsu's most famous and most profitable products."
“Tea, in particular, is the economic pillar of Otsu.”
“When the black ship arrived, the shogunate provided Otsu’s tea from the dining room to Matthew Perry on board.”
"The fresh taste of Zenso tea deeply attracted Matthew Perry."
"Since then, Shansuo tea has been favored by Americans and has become the number one export commodity to the United States."
“Previously, due to limited energy and lack of financial resources, the shogunate had never been able to expand the export scale of Zensho tea.”
Speaking of this, Yataro Iwasaki paused.
When he spoke again, his eyes burst out with passion and an expression of eagerness to try.
"Mr. Tachibana, to be honest, I already have a huge business plan in my mind!"
"Otsu is adjacent to Osaka, and Osaka is an important external port."
"As long as there are no unexpected events such as extreme weather, you can go back and forth between Otsu and Osaka within three days."
"Therefore, if we want to develop foreign trade, it is really easy!"
"Westerners are very fond of tea, and selling tea to the West is a big business that is sure to make a profit!"
"As long as we manage it properly, we can definitely double the current export scale of Shansuo Tea!"
"By then, even according to the most conservative estimates, we will be able to earn tens of thousands of dollars in huge income every year!"
What Iwasaki Yataro said caused everyone present to express surprise.
Tens of thousands of dollars in income...this is so tempting!
The total income of most vassal states in a year is probably less than 50,000 taels of gold.
Dajin can earn tens of thousands of taels or even one hundred thousand taels of gold from just tea.
Such huge profits are enough to make countless famous people jealous - Otsu must be too rich!
When Yataro Iwasaki spoke, Aoto listened carefully and did not interrupt.
It wasn't until he finished speaking that he said with a wry smile:
"Yataro, your plan is very good."
"But... there is a problem."
"Where are we going to raise the money to expand the scale of tea exports?"
After hearing this, Yataro Iwasaki was stunned on the spot.
After a while, he sighed heavily, and his face lost the excitement just now, and turned into a look of melancholy and helplessness.
"Mr. Orange, this is the problem that bothers me the most right now..."
…
…
After a while, Qingdeng and others gradually left the farmland behind them.
Instead, a vast city slowly unfolded before their eyes.
It is the castle town of Otsu Castle!
Thousands of tiles and tiles, and smoke curling up from cooking pots.
The streets are criss-crossed and crowded with pedestrians.
In a word - this is a lively and lively town.
Qingdeng and others took to the streets and, as expected, became the center of attention.
The townspeople stepped out of the way one after another and crowded on the street, looking at Qingnobo and others in confusion.
Just like the farmers just now, the townspeople at the scene also felt that Qing Qing was unfamiliar and did not recognize him.
Of course, this situation did not last long.
A city is a city after all, and it is not as isolated as a rural area.
Soon, a shout was heard from the crowd:
"Ah! I figured it out! He is 'Nioh' Tachibana Aoden!"
"Tachibana Aoden? Really?!"
"Then he is our new lord?"
…
In the midst of the shouting, no one knew who was the first to take the lead. He suddenly dwarfed his body and fell to his knees.
Immediately afterwards, as if a chain reaction started, the townspeople on both sides of the street knelt down one after another, like leeks that had been cut down.
The street, which was noisy just now, became extremely quiet now.
No one spoke, and no one dared to look up at Qingdeng.
The princes should not look down upon each other, and the emperor should not look up to him - this is one of the important ethical principles in Japan.
This means that the common people cannot look at the princes from flat, they must kneel on the ground, that is, look up.
The emperor could not even look up, he had to kneel on the ground and turn around.
Of course, ordinary people never have the opportunity to see the emperor.
The Emperor is the number one stayer in Japan, and he will not leave the imperial palace casually unless necessary.
Qingden is no longer an ordinary warrior, but a serious daimyo.
In this case, the lively scene that he often experienced in the past, "as soon as he went out, many people came to say hello to him" no longer existed.
From now on, the only sights he sees will be quiet streets and figures kneeling on the ground.
"It's so shocking..."
Kinoshita Mai murmured.
Although Shannan Keisuke, Iwasaki Yataro and others did not answer the call, judging from their expressions, they were also shocked by the scene in front of them.
In just a few seconds, countless people on the street knelt on the ground... For those who saw this scene for the first time, it was indeed difficult to adapt to it in a short period of time.
It is worth mentioning that Qingnobo did not appear surprised or at a loss like Kinoshita Mai and others at this time.
"..."
He looked to the left, to the right, and to the people kneeling on the ground without saying a word. He lowered his eyelids and pursed his lips. There was no sadness or joy on his face - it was difficult to guess what he was carving.
inner thoughts.
…
…
Although Otsu is a prosperous town, its area cannot be compared with large towns like Edo and Kyoto.
Therefore, it didn't take long for Aomori and others to arrive at the center of Otsu Town and arrive at their destination of the trip - Otsu Castle.
"Mr. Tachibana, that's Otsu Castle."
Yataro Iwasaki pointed forward.
Qingdeng raised his eyes and looked at it, and then joked half-jokingly:
"What a shabby city."
As soon as this was said, the others laughed one after another.
As far as reality is concerned, Qingteng's ridicule is very accurate - Otsu City has long been in ruins.
Otsu Castle is an ancient castle with a long history. Its history can be traced back to the Asuka Period (592-710) and was built by Emperor Tenchi (626-672).
In 667, Emperor Tenchi founded Jin-kyo.
In 1586, Toyotomi Hideyoshi built Otsu Castle.
In 1600, affected by the Sekigahara War, Otsu Castle was burned down.
Since then, only the black, burnt stone foundations have remained.
Shannan Keisuke, who has always liked ancient buildings, whispered with mixed feelings:
"It is sad that wherever the Qin and Han Dynasties traveled, thousands of palaces and palaces were turned into dirt."
Qingden shrugged:
"It's good to make soil... so that we can build a bigger and better city!"
Speaking of this, Qingdeng suddenly raised his voice:
"I will build a bastion here!"
*******
*******
A new volume is opened!
I don’t know what’s going on, but Bao Baozi suffered from severe insomnia last night... I’ve been feeling hazy all day today, and my head hurts so much that I’m not in good condition today, and my word count is a little low.
Leopard Leopard will work harder tomorrow! (Crying Leopard Leopard Head)
